Abnormal Dog Behavior

Ok. So I have a dog who is approximately 3 1/2 years old now. His name is Hayden. He is mixed with so many breeds that we can't even begin to understand his lineage. Over the past few years he has been a wonderful dog. He was a little shakey at first, and had some seperation anxiety when we first got him, but has significantly improved. He was wonderful for a long time and then we got another dog. He had a bit of a back peddle for a while when she came on the scene (ie. Marking his bed and other things in the house). But has since returned to normal. I should also say that he came from the local SPCA and obviously was abused by a previous owner as he has always been frightened by a raised hand. He is also mildly blind in both eyes due to some corneal disfunction.

He really was the model of great behavior. We had him to the point where he was great when we left him by himself. He never destroyed anything. He rarely had accidents in the house. He was very well trained. He never got up at the counter to eat things. He never begs for food. All was great, up to about 4 months ago. Over the past 3-4 months its as if we have a completely different dog. Here is a list of the inappropriate behaviors he exhibits:

He gets up to the counter to pull off food and eat it.

He poops in our walk in closet everyday.(We take him outside and will leave him out there until we watch him poop. He will save some and come back inside and poop in the closet)

He has learned how to open the trashcan and thrice has opened it and removed its entire contents.

He has become antisocial. He will hide on the 2nd floor landing and will not come down and sit with us. He normally would be trying to crawl up in our laps.

All of these things are extremely abnormal for him. I don't really know how to deal with this new behavior. We've had to start recrating him because we can't trust him in the house out of the crate anymore. What is going on with him?

I agree with Lizbud, sounds like your first dog is a bit jealous of the new comer. There are many possible causes and solutions for this. Did you change his routine when you got the new dog? Is he not getting as much or the same type of attention he got before? Does he get "alone time" with you? How do you react to confrontations between the two dogs?

As for the food on the counter and the garbage can, well, I've always been of the mindset that some things are simply "irresistable" to dogs. Of course, dogs can be trained, usually, to leave things alone. But if you are already having behavior problems that need addressed, sometimes it is just simpler to remove the temptation of food and garbage. Just like with small children, sometimes you need to "childproof" or "dogproof" your house. Put the food in a cupboard, and put the garbage in a cabinet with a simple hook and eye latch on it.

"We give dogs the time we can spare, the space we can spare and the love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made" - M. Facklam

"We are raised to honor all the wrong explorers and discoverers - thieves planting flags, murderers carrying crosses. Let us at last praise the colonizers of dreams."- P.S. Beagle

"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king." - J.R.R. Tolkien

How long ago did you get the new dog? Do they get along? My Nicki acted a lot like your Hayden after a few serious fights with my husband's dog. Perhaps they got into fights without you being aware. Nicki also learned to raid the trashcan from Sammie -- something she never did prior to sharing her home with a second dog.

It could be that Hayden poops ion the closet as a serious way to mark his territory so the new dog knows that is HIS place. He could feel safe in the closet and doesn't want to share it. Crating is a good thing because most dogs take refuge in their crates when stressed or anxious, it seems as if he has chosen the closet as his refuge.